May 4, 2017

Fresh Herb & Roasted Garlic Quinoa Burgers

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Crispy on the outside & soft on the inside, these fresh herb & roasted garlic quinoa burgers make for a fantastic meatless meal! Packed with so much flavor and filled with veggies, beans and walnuts, they’re dairy free and vegetarian.

Three Fresh Herb and Roasted Garlic Quinoa Burgers on a plate with avocado and pepper jelly in the background.

It’s quinoa burger time! Crispy, healthy, perfectly flavorful fresh herb & roasted garlic quinoa burgers to be exact.

And here’s how they go down:

We have some soft and buttery roasted garlic. We have some quinoa.  Some basic veggies, some walnuts and a whole boatload of fresh herbs. Parsley, chives and dill, oh my!

It all gets mixed together with a few other pantry staples, formed into patties and then cooked up to crispy perfection in a skillet.

They’re packed with flavor, not at ALL dry, and decently sturdy. That’s a triple threat right there when it comes to veggie burgers! Yes indeed.

Overhead view of three Quinoa Veggie Burgers on a plate with avocado and pepper jelly to the side.

Tips & Tricks For These Quinoa Veggie Burgers

  1. First up. Please don’t be scared away by the total recipe time! It includes 50 minutes for the garlic to roast in the oven – which is completely hands off. AND you can even do this in advance. Leaving you at right around an hour for the rest of the recipe.
  2. Want to cut down on the recipe time even more? Cook the quinoa in advance as well.
  3. These little burgers freeze beautifully. So you can also make them entirely ahead of time. I like to let them thaw out overnight in the fridge and then reheat briefly when ready to enjoy.
  4. Let’s talk how to serve. I stupidly forgot to buy burger buns when I went to photograph these (or really, english muffins since they are my favorite right now for burgers!).  So, ummm, they’re totally not pictured. But! They are delicious that way as a classic burger with carb-y goodness, or over lettuce or greens, or even over roasted veggies. I’d also highly encourage you to try topping with a smear of pepper jelly and some sliced avocado. YUM.

Ooo, ooo and when served with a side of oven baked fries??? Goodness me, I’m in burger heaven.

A Quinoa Veggie Burger over greens and topped with avocado and pepper jelly.

Additional Dinner Recipes You Might Enjoy:

Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.

Crispy on the outside & soft on the inside, these fresh herb & roasted garlic quinoa burgers make for a fantastic meal! Packed with so much flavor!

Fresh Herb & Roasted Garlic Quinoa Burgers

Yield: about 10 to 11 burgers
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Crispy on the outside & soft on the inside, these fresh herb & roasted garlic quinoa burgers make for a fantastic meatless meal! Packed with so much flavor and filled with veggies, beans and walnuts, they’re dairy free and vegetarian. 

Ingredients

For the roasted garlic:

  • 1 medium head garlic
  • olive oil, for drizzling
  • salt and pepper, for sprinkling

For the burgers:

  • ½ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
  • ½ cup minced onion (from about half of a large onion)
  • ½ cup minced carrot (from about 2 medium carrots)
  • ½ cup raw walnut halves
  • 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
  • ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 3 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • olive oil, for cooking
  • desired toppings and/or buns, for serving

Instructions

For the roasted garlic:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
  2. Cut off the top end of the head of garlic, so that the bulb remains intact and the cloves are exposed. Remove any of the outer loose layers of the garlic bulb, then place on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Wrap the garlic in the foil.
  3. Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, until the cloves are golden brown.
  4. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze the cloves out of the peel. Use a fork to mash the cloves into a paste. Measure out 1 tablespoon (you can save any extra for another recipe!) and set aside.

For the burgers:

  1. Add the quinoa and vegetable broth to a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed.
  2. Turn off the heat and let the pan sit covered for 5 minutes, then fluff the quinoa with a fork. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl. Add in the onion and carrot, then set aside.
  3. Add the walnuts to the bowl of a food processor. Process until finely ground, but don’t go so far that it turns into a paste. Add to the bowl with the quinoa. Add the beans to the bowl of the food processor. Process until about half of the beans are pureed, but the rest still have some texture. Add to the large bowl, along with the parsley, chives, dill, breadcrumbs, flour, salt and the 1 tablespoon roasted garlic. Mix until well combined. Taste and season with additional salt, if needed.
  4. Add the egg and tomato paste to a small bowl and beat together with a fork. Add to the large bowl and mix again until well combined (if the mixture is too wet to form into patties, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Don’t add too much, or you’ll dry out the burgers!).
  5. Scoop about ¼ cup of the mixture at a time and form into patties. {I like to place the patties on wax or parchment paper so they are easier to transfer to the skillet to cook.}
  6. Set a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour in a good glug of olive oil. When hot (once the oil is hot, you want there to be enough so that it pretty much covers the bottom of the skillet in a very thin layer), add in as many patties as will comfortably fit. Cook for about 4 minutes per side, until browned and crispy.
  7. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Repeat this process for all the patties. Serve however you would like!

Notes

I like to mince the onion and carrot in my food processor. Makes it nice and fast.

If you roast the garlic ahead of time, it will cut down significantly on the time for the recipe (by about 50 minutes)! Just mash into the paste and then store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use. Same goes if you cook the quinoa in advance.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 331Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 690mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 8gSugar: 4gProtein: 14g

Nutrition data shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.

© Ashley / Cook Nourish Bliss
Cuisine: American / Category: Main Dish
Dairy Free, Freezer-Friendly, Main Dish, Meatless, Recipes (ALL), Soy Free, Vegetarian
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